On Wednesday, thousands of dead fish littered the waters where just a day before sea life struggled to stay alive.

"The sea creatures are innocent, and they're dead. It is sad to see," said Honolulu resident Darlene Roberts.

The smell of rotting sea creatures fills the air at Keehi Lagoon.Hundreds of bloated fish also bob among the boats on top of the dark and murky spill-polluted waters.

"It is just progressively killing off all the sea life right now," said Jessica Hammerstrom, one of the many boaters in the lagoon.

KITV has learned, because of the wind and waves, much of the spill is being pushed into the harbor and nearby lagoon. Experts believe it could take another one or two weeks until the 233,000-gallon spill of molasses breaks up and disappears.

"That's a lot of sugar in the water, and one of the things we're concerned about is an algal bloom or bacteria bloom. That's why we're cautioning people not to consume any of the fish caught in the affected areas," said William Aila, the director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Aila said there's been no sign of blooms yet or increased numbers of sharks coming to feed on the floating fish.

DLNR patrols spent part of Wednesday picking up those floating fish. Officers also dragged nets to see if the aquatic dead zone reached to the ocean bottom.

"We wanted to confirm there weren't more fish there on the bottom, and we did that. So it looks like all the ones on the surface are the extent of the dead fish," said Aila.

Aila added he was alarmed over the wide variety of species killed and worried about the impact the molasses will have on surrounding coral reefs.Marine experts will conduct tests on the collected fish to determine not only what killed them but also if they contain any harmful toxins from the spill. Others will check on the corals in reefs around Honolulu Harbor.

A Matson spokesperson said the leak in the pipe has been repaired and will undergo tests before it is used to pump molasses again.

A steady stream of dead fish... And a stench to match it... Now experts say the nearly a quarter-million gallons of molasses spilled into Honolulu Harbor could be sticking around for weeks. In continuing coverage tonight... KITV4's Paul Drewes shows us the deadly effects of this spill. Thousands of dead fish now litter the waters, where just yesterday -- fish struggled to stay alive. Darlene roberts@23:37 "The sea creatures they're innocent and they're dead, its sad to see" The smell of rotting sea creatures now fills the air at Keehi Lagoon. Hundreds of bloated fish also bob among the boats in the dark and murky spill- polluted waters. jessica@7:40-7:45 "its just progressively killing off all the sea life right now" KITV has learned because of the wind and waves, much of the spill is being pushed into the harbor and nearby lagoon and this ecological disaster could be here for another week or two before the 233,000-gallons of molasses completely breaks up and disappears. standup@21:35-21:45 "to give you an idea of just how much molasses spilled. Each of these tanker trucks hold about 9000 gallons, that means it would take 25 truckloads to equal the amount that ended up in our waters" 28:00-28:12 "That's a lot of sugar in the water and one of the things we're concern about is an algal bloom or bacteria bloom, that's why we're cautioning people not to consume any of the fish" Aila said there's been no sign of any blooms yet or even increased numbers of sharks coming to feed on the floating fish. DLNR patrols spent part of the day picking up floaters and also dragged nets to see if this dead zone reached the ocean bottom. aila@26:23-26:30 "We wanted to confirm there weren;t more fish there on the bottom and we did that, so it looks like the ones on the surface are the extent" But Aila adds he is alarmed over the wide variety of species that have been killed and worries about what kind of impact the molasses will have on surrounding coral reefs. Paul Drewes KITV 4 news Marine experts will conduct tests on the fish collected today to determine not only what killed them but also if they contain any harmful toxins from the spill. Matson tells us the leaky pipe has been repaired and will undergo tests

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